Cross Sectional Observation Clinical Study on Visual Rehabilitation amongst Low Vision Patients in Kolkata

Abstract

Low vision rehabilitation (LVR) continues to be an important but less emphasized part of comprehensive ophthalmic care; especially in an urban Indian context such as Kolkata. The purpose of this study is to understand the multiple dimensions of life difficulties that low vision patients encounter during the rehabilitation process and to try to find compromise between barriers and effective intervention and quality-of-life improvement. The study used a descriptive observational cross-sectional design involving 461 low vision samples who are clinically diagnosed and were aged between 20 and 70. Information was obtained through structured questionnaires and analyzed with the aid of SPSS v21. Variables of interest were demographic factors, occupation and perceived concerns on linguistic, social, financial, physical and psychological aspects of QoL. Patients had a mean age of 40.2 ± 14.2 years, and men dominated the cohort (57.7%). Occupations were diverse with housewives and service workers being predominant. Language obstacles were found to be difficult by 37% and moderate to high by 55%. Fifty-two percent of users experienced issues in accessing social media. Homemakers were significantly more likely (OR = 2.53, p = 0.0258), followed by students (OR = 3.59, p = 0.0027) and the jobless (OR = 3.89, p = 0.014) to have financial constraints. Psychological distress — that is, anxiety and depression — was significantly correlated with some occupations, including photographers (estimate = 1.15 p = 0.0471) and fruit sellers (estimate = –1.72, p = 0.0138). Conclusively, visual rehabilitation in Kolkata is influenced by a combination of language, socioeconomic, and psychosocial issues. These results highlight the importance of interventions focused policies, communication strategies adapting to culture, and the availability of professional trained and mobility aids.